“I’m your density… I mean, your destiny.”

From: Back to the Future

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: George McFly

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1985 sci-fi comedy, Back to the Future. The film has Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) travelling back in time in a time machine created by Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd). While stuck in the past, he accidentally prevents his parents from ever getting together. So, in addition to Marty and the Doc trying to find a way to get him back to the future, they also have to make sure that Marty’s parents end up together or else he will be erased from the timeline.

The quote comes in the middle of the movie. Marty manages to convince his future father, George McFly (played by Crispin Glover) to try to talk and woo his future mother. He tries to give him pointers on what to say. When he does try to talk to her, he initially flubs his line but, as he has been infatuated with her for quite a while, he does recover to say it correctly.

Geek Wisdom: When there is a connection between two people, little mistakes can always be ignored. After all, the point is for the two of them to be together. So, words ultimately don’t matter.

“It means your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has! Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one!”

From: Back to the Future: Part III

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Doc Brown

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the the final film of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film series focuses on Marty McFly and Doc Brown who use a time machine (built out of a Delorean) and get into various adventures because of it.

The quote comes from the final scenes of the third installment. Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) takes his girlfriend Jennifer (played by Elizabeth Shue) to the remains of the Delorean. Suddenly, Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd) comes back from the future using a time machine built into a train. Jennifer asks Doc Brown why one of the messages she took home from the future has been erased. This is when Doc Brown explains the reason and the quote.

Geek wisdom: We are in control of our own destiny. No matter our initial circumstances, we have the power to make the future are bright as we want it to be.

“Why don’t you make like a tree and get out of here?”

From: Back to the Future, Part II

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Biff Tannen

The story behind the quote: Seeing as October 21, 2015 has passed, the date when Doc Brown took Marty McFly “to the future” to rescue his grandson, it seems only fitting that this week’s quote comes from the film when these events happened, Back to the Future, Part II

The quote comes from the middle of the movie. The Biff Tannen of 2015 steals the Delorean and travels back to 1955. He plans to give the sports almanac from the future to the Biff of 2015 so he can use the information to get rich. Of course, Biff, being the hardheaded bully that he is (in any timeline) refuses the book and delivers the quote. The “elder” Biff then berates his younger self while telling him the actual quote is supposed to be “…make like a tree and leave.”

Geek wisdom: When you’re young, you feel like you can do anything, even extremely stupid things. We feel like we can perform dumb stunts or say incredibly stupid/insensitive things to people because it’s “cool.” It’s only when you get older and have the chance to look at these actions with a more mature mind that you can see how stupid some of these impulsive actions actually are.

“You mean you have to use your hands?” “That’s like a baby’s toy!”

From: Back To The Future: Part II

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Two kids from the future

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the second installment of the Back To The Future trilogy of films. In this film, Marty McFly goes to the future (2015 at the time) because Doc Brown says that one of his future children is in trouble. However, while saving his son, Biff Tannen steals the DeLorean and changes the past by giving his 1955 self a Sports Almanac that allows 1955 Biff to make a fortune by placing bets on the winners, creating a horrible alternate future. Mary and Doc then race to the past to prevent this from happening.

The quote comes from when Marty arrives in the future. Two kids from the future manage to get  an old Wild Gunman arcade machine working again. Unable to figure out how the game works, Marty steps in and shows the kids his prowess in the game. However, the kids are unimpressed by how to actually control Wild Gunman…

Geek wisdom: Technology will always keep on improving by leaps and bounds. Before you know it, the latest gadget that you believed was incredibly advanced will seem incredibly dated in a span of a few years. With that being said, we keep on getting the latest tech, such as the newest phones or tablets, knowing full well they will be obsolete in a couple of months.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to take into perspective if it’s actually worth getting the newest gadgets knowing someone is trying to innovate something radically better than the thing we have right now.